Chapter 15

MIA

T hat night, after a long, relaxing bath, I wandered into a kitchen bubbling with the aroma of delicious food.

The scent of garlic and tomatoes filled the room, causing my tummy to growl.

Lorenzo stood by the stove, a wooden spoon in hand, stirring a simmering pot of pasta sauce. His dark eyes smouldered when they met mine as I entered, a small smile playing on his lips before he turned back to the cooking.

Mauri was seated at the dining table, a wine in hand. His brow furrowed in deep thought as if he were still processing everything we had experienced earlier.

Lorenzo poured me a glass, and I leaned against the counter, watching him work. I found comfort in this warm, bustling galley surrounded by the scents of delicious food.

I was intrigued to discover how well Lorenzo cooked.

He was also freakin' sexy as he cheffed for us.

I pretended to scroll on my phone as I peeked at him working.

He wore a black tee over slim-fit jeans.

A towel was flung over broad shoulders, and his hands moved with practised ease.

His feet were bare.

He had this way of stroking his fingers over his lower lip when he focused, peering at the sauce simmering or checking the pasta as it rolled in hot water.

It was sensual yet adorable at the same time.

He must have sensed my gaze because he glanced up and locked eyes with me, fingers on his mouth, a slow smile on his lips.

It hit me to the core, jolting at how much my body tingled from my hardened nipples to my toes.

I pulled away from our shared stare, hoping the heat in my cheeks was not showing.

‘Cara, please set the table,' he rasped.

My eyes jerked away from his, face heating up.

‘OK,' I said, rising to my feet and heading away from his mesmerising, sexy self towards the glass shelves packed with exquisite plates and cutlery.

I placed plates as Lorenzo put down two massive bowls of mouthwatering deliciousness, warm garlic bread and a tossed green salad.

Mauri groaned with impatience as he served up, and Lorenzo served him with a side eye. ‘Leave some for the rest of us, fratello,' he growled with affection as the burly man heaped his plate.

‘The pasta is delectable,' I said, forking more of the basil, tomato and Parmesan goodness into my mouth.

‘It's simple, but it always works,' Lorenzo rumbled. ‘My mother taught me this recipe. She claimed the secret ingredient was always love.'

His eyes flickered with a hint of nostalgia before he masked it with a smile.

His voice had softened as he spoke of his mother, a fleeting glimpse of vulnerability crossing his stoic features.

Moments like these reminded me there was more to Lorenzo than met the eye, layers beneath the hardened exterior he presented to the world.

Mauri raised his glass in a silent toast. The clinking of crystal filled the air, a sound so delicate yet laced with a shared understanding.

It appeared Lorenzo had discovered the right recipe to melt away the tension from earlier today.

After dinner, Mauri excused himself and limped to his apartment above the garage.

The man was sated, weary and half asleep when he prowled away.

Lorenzo and I stayed behind as a quiet hush fell over us.

We cleared up, and I washed dishes with methodical precision. The warm water soothed me as I stared into the night and raindrops sliding down the kitchen window.

I sensed Lorenzo's heated gaze on me.

He was seated at the dining table, smoking another of his herb cigarettes.

In the reflection of the glass, he leaned back in his seat, eyes still on me.

Heat, lust, and need spiked up in me.

We'd been sharing quick, scorching glances at each other all day.

Now, I dried my hands on a towel and turned to face him.

Our eyes locked, aqua meeting lilac in a silent conversation that spoke volumes without words.

The charged atmosphere crackled, dense with unspoken desires dancing beneath the surface. Intense and unwavering, his eyes bore into mine, a muted challenge passing between us.

I made my way over to him, every step deliberate and purposeful.

I wanted this, craved him, and yearned to discover where our sensual chemistry would lead.

The only sound in the room was the soft patter of rain against the window, a soothing backdrop to the tension that coiled around us like a spring ready to snap.

Lorenzo stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, a flicker of something primal in his gaze as he eyed my approach. I stopped in front of him, our bodies inches apart, the heat of his aura washing over me.

He stood up in one fluid motion, his proximity sparking a fire I struggled to contain within me. The air between us crackled with need, thick and suffocating.

Without a word, he extended his fingers, grazing mine. He took the dishtowel in my hands and tossed it onto the dining table.

His essence enveloped me, a heady mix of danger and allure, sending a shiver down my spine.

He lifted a hand gentle yet firm as he cupped my cheek. His eyes intent, burning bright, with silent zeal.

Heated, ferocious, fuckin' on fire.

Threatening to consume us both.

His touch was feather-light as he traced a line from my jaw to my collarbone. My breath hitched, and my heart pounded in my chest as desire unfurled deep within me.

‘I can't stop thinking about you,' he murmured, his voice husky with raw need.

The fierceness in his gaze threatened to engulf me, drawing me in like a moth to a flame.

‘On the one hand, you're one badass, sexy woman, and while I realise you can take care of yourself, I also know I never want to ever fucking experience again the thought of losing you.'

His dark blue eyes, so intent, so caring, so sensual, melted me.

I stroked his jaw, which tightened under my caress as all the worries and the dangers lurking outside these four walls faded into insignificance. It was only him and me, two souls teetering on the edge of something reckless and beautiful.

Without a groan, he captured my lips in a searing kiss, igniting a wildfire of emotions within me.

It was as if the world had fallen away, leaving only the two of us in this charged bubble of desire.

The tang of him, a heady mix of smoke unique to Lorenz, sent a thrill down my spine. Our hearts beat as one, synchronised in a dance of longing and pent-up passion.

His hands moved all over me, tracing the curves of my body like he was committing every detail to memory. I clung to him, loving the heat of his skin on mine, the firmness of his touch sending jolts of electricity through me.

The storm outside mirrored the tempest raging within us, rain drumming against the windows with an urgency that mirrored my own.

His kiss was fierce and bruising.

I moaned and scrabbled, fingers tangling in his dark hair as I pulled him closer.

The scent of his cologne and the lingering aroma of the herbs on his breath created a heady concoction that intoxicated my senses.

Our bodies pressed together, a symphony of heat and need driving us towards an edge we both recognised was dangerous yet irresistible.

As we parted for a moment to catch respite, I searched his eyes, finding a storm of feelings swirling within them. Longing, hunger, and a hint of vulnerability made my heart ache with a raw intensity I hadn't experienced in years.

‘Lorenzo,' I whispered like a prayer, loving the sound of his full name and savouring the weight of his body leaning into mine, his heated rod hammering and throbbing against my tummy.

He didn't reply but instead captured my lips again in a kiss that spoke volumes, pouring out emotions words weren't able to express. Each twist, every sigh, a promise of passion to come, a declaration of desires too potent to be contained.

The world outside faded into oblivion as we surrendered to the intoxicating pull, drawing us closer and entwining our fates in a dance of fervour and longing.

The storm raged on, nature's wild symphony providing the soundtrack to our clandestine moment of surrender.

Every caress was loaded with a yearning that transcended mere physical attraction, delving into the depths of something primal and profound. Lorenzo's hands on my skin ignited a fire that had smouldered within me, awakening a part of myself I had hidden for far too long.

As the intensity of our embrace heightened, a floodgate of emotions rushed through me, breaking down barriers I had erected to protect my heart.

With Lorenzo, there was no room for pretence or inhibition, only the raw, unfiltered pull of desire threatening to consume us both. His touch was a tempest, stirring something wild and untamed, begging to be set free. The world around us ceased to exist as we surrendered to the magnetism, drawing us closer, our bodies moving in a primal dance of need and longing.

Lorenzo pulled back, grabbed my face in his hands and stared into my eyes with blazing ardour. ‘I must be clear with you, baby. I desire you, I want to fucking own you. But I need to be sure you want this,' he growled. ‘You have to tell me right now if we're not on the same page.'

His utterance hung heavy in the charged atmosphere, crackling between us.

I gazed back at him, tagging the vulnerability beneath his usual fa?ade of confidence. In this raw moment, our connection more profound than mere physical passion.

A storm raged outside and within me, emotions swirling like the turbulent winds battering the windows. I took a deep breath, steadying myself before meeting Lorenzo's gaze head-on.

‘I want you too,' I whispered, the words carrying the weight of my desires and fears. ‘I need you too, Lorenzo. All of you.'

‘Thank fuck,' he breathed, a flicker of relief crossing his face. ‘I realise, cara, that I have to make this right.'

‘What do you mean?'

‘I might have been a little rough with you, bella, when I first spotted you crouched in my corridor with a dead man in my study. I never should have raised my voice or made you feel so small. I ought to have kissed away your worry.'

‘It's never too late to start,' I teased, my eyes dancing.

A smouldering intensity replaced his concern as he pulled me closer once again. Our lips met in a searing kiss, a silent pact sealed in shared passion and longing.

I let out a soft moan as his hot hands caressed my body, giving me goosebumps. I groaned, part in pleasure and frustration, wanting more.

Lorenzo walked me backwards until the edge of the dining room table hit against the back of my thighs.

He banded hands around my hips, lifting me with ease to settle me on the surface.

I wrapped my legs around his waist as he positioned himself between my legs, letting out a moan as he trailed kisses down my neck.

He paused at my nape where my mother's charm and Bianca's token lay.

‘You're wearing the figa?'

I fingered the amulet, which resembled a small hand, with the thumb enclosed by the index and middle fingers.

‘Is that what it's called? Yes, it came from Bianca. I'm not sure what to make of it.'

He huffed against my skin. ‘It's a good luck pendant, a lucky charm and augury associated with fertility; some say love and abundance. What else did she leave you?' he murmured.

My face fell for a beat as I thought of the woman who had brought us together. ‘Hope.'

She also left me you, I wanted to say, thinking of her request in her letter.

I was beginning to understand her bequest, for Lorenzo was fast becoming my omen, my man-sized desire, my premonition of the joy yet to come my way.

‘No wonder. You fill me with so much of it, bella,' growling, licking my ear.

He pressed me into me, and I lost all thought, grinding my pelvis in wild need against the bulge in his pants.

‘Cara, you are fire,' he hissed as he pulled off my top, tossing it aside and revealing my lilac lace bra. He undid the clasps, freeing my breasts.

‘Tu sei bellissima, so beautiful,' he grunted, his eyes flashing, nostrils flaring. ‘Damn, I've dreamed of you, of this, of us, for so many days now.'

Lorenzo lowered his head, and I gasped as his rough tongue flicked over my hard, pebbled nipple. I moaned and thrust my tits up as he bit down on my swollen tip, causing me to shudder with pleasure.

With a soft growl, he lashed it, soothing it while still driving me wild.

He repeated the same on my other tit, his hot palm massaged and plumped my other breast.

‘Lorenzo,' I cried, throwing my head back, convulsing as his touch teased and tormented me. ‘So good.'

He pulled back, locking eyes with me, sensing my need to stop thinking of our shared anguish and darkness.

I reached a hand and stroked the back of his head and thrust my hands into his hair, rubbing, pulling, pushing him against my skin, lost in ecstasy I'd never imagined.

His musk and essence enfolded me, and he let out a groan as my hips pressed the thick, hard length throbbing in his pants.

I scrabbled under his tee and came to a stop at his nipples.

I pulled back, my brow raised.

He smirked and winked, slow and sensual.

Leaning forward, he pulled off the cotton cloth to reveal a four-pack, rippled, hard.

The piece de resistance, however, was the silver straight barbells pierced into his dark areolas.

A wave of need went through me, and I licked my lips and bit the lower one.

He took note, laughing with a hoarse chuckle.

‘Bella, let me answer the question you're asking. My nips are hardwired to my cock, so I got them pierced in my twenties. It feels freakin' good when you flick or lick them, so bring on the rough play.'

I indulged him, bending my head to flick my tongue across the left and then the right of his chest.

He glanced down at me, eyes half-mast with pleasure. I couldn't tell who was more turned on as the scent of our arousal filled my nostrils.

He reached for the waistband, but before he had the chance to lower it, I slid down off the table and dropped to my knees.

Lorenzo's brow lifted as I undid his belt and pulled down his shorts.

‘Baby,' he growled as I pulled his gear down, followed by his underwear, releasing my prize.

I almost came as his cock came into view, pressing my thighs together with a moan.

It was thick, rigid, pulsing, and long, with a swollen purple head tipped with the pearlescent evidence of his desire.

My eyes tracked to his, locking with his, which were dark and stormy. ‘Woman,' he breathed, his voice so deep his chest rumbled.

I wrapped my hands around his rigid member with reverence, running my fingers over his veined thickness, amazed at how hard and ready he was.

‘You're perfect,' I whispered as I alternated my strokes with long pumps, and he hissed, still staring down at me, his eyes never losing mine, his thighs shaking from the effort to stay upright.

Feeling pity for him, I pushed into the chair beside him as he stepped out his shorts and underwear, leaving him naked, like a god, muscles rippling, lean, taut, potent.

He sat in it with a heavy slump, scooting to the edge and giving me unfettered access.

I leaned in and pressed my lips to the tip of his cock, licking the drop of pure essence on its edge. Lorenzo's thick calves shook, his hands cradling my head. ‘This is beyond a dream; this is heaven,' he grunted, his corded neck working as he flung his head back, overcome with pleasure.

I flicked my tongue over the head of his shaft as I began to pump him.

I was about to take him deeper into my mouth when he cradled my face and growled, ‘Non penso. I can't blow now. We can't start this fire without your flames.'

He grabbed my arms and pulled me to my feet, walking me backwards till my back fell to the wall. He braced himself on the surface as he ground his pelvis into me.

I moaned as the roughness of his pelvic hair rubbed my waist, igniting me.

Lorenzo undid my sweats and tugged them down, revealing my matching lilac lace panties, which were drenched.

‘So wet for me. Let me soak it up,' he snarled, giving me another mind-blowing kiss before he descended, his tongue and lips scorching a trail down to my panty line.

He used his teeth and one finger to lower the lace down my hips, his sensual mouth curving up when I stepped out of the scanty fabric.

‘Brace bella,' he growled as he nabbed the back of one knee and flung my leg onto his shoulder.

I gasped at the off-balance sensation.

I threw one hand out to the wall, the other gripping his upper arm.

His eyes glittered as he glanced at me, then at my sopping centre.

Without warning, he dipped his head. I convulsed as his lips touched my slit, licking long and slow before his tongue penetrated.

Cradling my ass like a precious treasure, he pulled me deeper into his mouth.

Then it was on. He licked, sipped, nibbled, and suckled until I collapsed.

Hell, he was proving to me there was power in the tongue.

It took all his bulging muscles to hold me up as I writhed against his mouth, hearing the sounds of my mewling and moaning filling the house, lost in bliss I'd never imagined.

Heel in his back, I arched like a drawstring, convulsing into a keening moan.

In one fluid motion, he rose—one arm braced on the wall, the other at my hip.

My eyes were closed, quivering on the edge of an orgasm.

‘You want this, don't you?' he asked, lifting my leg one more to band around his waist, giving him unleashed access to my pussy.

Panting, he palmed his cock and brought it to my slit, massaging my clit, bumping my clit. Grabbing his lean waist for leverage, I pushed my pelvis out, stroking him in our shared torture.

‘Yes,' I breathed, senseless, ‘Yes. I want you inside me.'

He kissed me hard, thrusting his tongue into my mouth. He circled his hands to grab my ass. ‘Bella, I want to love you, fuck you, freaking pound you till I own your body and soul.'

‘Lorenzo, shut up and fuck me,' I moaned.

‘I can't refuse such a beautiful ask,' he rumbled with dark desire as his power-driven hips plunged, and I gasped as he filled me.

Widening me, spreading me, filling me, impossibly so.

‘Amore mio, ride on it, let's blow hard,' he growled.

He began thrusting first slow and easy, then his pace quickened.

As our lips met in a melting clash of skin and tongue, our moans and groans interchanged with gasps and hitched breaths.

One of his hands left my waist to cup my tit, and his mouth tore from mine to engulf my areola in his lashing, sucking mouth.

I was so gone, reduced to the sensation at my nerve endings, my clit rippling along his thick cock as he pierced in and out of me, groaning as he plunged into me, dragging his veined member in and out, his fingers alternating from plucking my nipple to his lips suckling.

I tried to return the favour, reaching between us, too, flicking his nipples, tugging on the barbells, then lower, stroking his heavy, hanging balls; he hissed and pulled my hands away with a grunt. ‘No, cara, I can't take it. Too soon.'

As Lorenzo thrust harder, deeper, my legs started to shake. I grabbed onto his back for support as a build-up of lightning struck, and the pressure of such orgasmic power threatened to crash down on me.

‘I'm going to come,' I breathed.

‘Come for me,' he said, ‘come on me, baby.'

A storm of rapture hit, splintering ecstasy through me, pulverising every last defence. I let out a loud moan, my thighs, spine and ass convulsing as my pussy clenched him so hard, undulating all along his length as I was hit with a tsunami of pleasure so sharp, so incandescent, I unleashed a silent scream.

Lorenzo roared as he ground his hips into me, hands flicking my clit, working back to my tits, his cock head plunging in and out while rubbing against my sensitive crotch.

Seconds later, he followed me into nirvana with yet another bellow as he continued to plunge into me with wild abandon, his cum scorching my insides as it pumped out of him.

He reached between, grabbing the hilt of his shaft to pump it harder, gasping, panting, the warmth of his seed coating his shaft as he came.

He rammed into me one last time, thrusting in me with a roar, remaining rooted in me as he shuddered and shook in my arms.

We both slid down the wall and clung to each other, uncaring about the hardness of the tiles, moving into a supine position as he slicked in and out of me.

Our mouths met, and our kiss intensified, on and on, in a sensual dance that dove below any layers and walls we might have put up, stripping away all inhibition and leaving only deep-set emotion.

In time, he pulled back and, with a forceful surge, shifted out of me and rose to his feet.

I moaned at the loss of his heat as cool air whispered over my skin.

Without missing a beat, he bent and levered me into his arms, banding one below my back and the other under my knees.

He lifted me like I weighed nothing, and I wrapped my hands around his neck and shoulders as he strode from the kitchen dining area.

I pushed my face into his nape as he moved through the house, up the stairs and down the long corridor into the master.

Moments later, he lay me down on his bed and knelt, his girth and mass impaling the surface.

He bent and crushed his mouth to mine, cradling my head on both sides with a tear-jerking tenderness.

‘Tongue,' he commanded in a gravelly whisper.

I obeyed, flicking it out as his lips fell on it, sucking with intensity as his fingers slipped their way between my legs.

We pulled apart, and my eyes, still dilated from my orgasm, stared up at him as he thrust two digits inside me.

I arched my back, keening.

His gaze was on me, smouldering, raking all over my body.

His cock was still hard as a rock, bobbing before him like he hadn't just come in me.

A wash of wet soaked my upper thighs as my desire ratcheted again.

‘More, amore mio?' he growled.

I had no words other than my harsh panting and nod.

‘Legs, wide, as far as you can,' he demanded.

I grabbed my knees and spread them, bringing them up to my shoulders.

He hissed and swung himself over me.

Then he plunged one more time, his thick hardness rooting itself, with impossible power, deeper than he'd been before.

I was beyond redemption, consumed in unadulterated lust as I pitched up to him, wild in abandon.

At some point, I lost purchase of my grip and moved to pinch and squeeze my nipples until he took over with his mouth.

On and on, we fucked, in animalistic wantonness till my climax slammed so forcefully I pushed him off me and turned to the bed, jerking my hips, fingers gripping between my thighs as I writhed as wave after wave of euphoria rocked me.

He slid into me once more from behind and thundered his way into his orgasm inside me.

I fell to the mattress, incoherent, throat dry from gasping so hard.

He slumped on me, heavy, muscled, sweaty over me.

We lay shuddering against each other, his exhalation scorching my ear, growling words I couldn't understand in Italian.

But I was hit with every emotion they conveyed.

Need, want, desire, joy, bliss.

The same sensations arced in me as my eyes misted over.

LORENZO

‘Tu sei la luce della mia vita,' I murmured, rubbing my nose into her skin, trailing kisses on her nape, lost in all she was, falling so deep into her I had no comeback, no retreat.

She'd stolen my heart, my breath, my soul.

This woman had enlivened me from the moment I'd met her. Now, having her under me, my cock still inside her, as she gripped me in her tightness, was heaven and paradise all rolled into one.

It took all my ever-loving control to lift from her.

Thighs still trembling with the aftershocks of the unparalleled ecstasy I'd experienced, I tracked to the bathroom, ran hot water over a towel and returned to the bed.

I found her on one elbow, her nakedness gleaming with sweat, her curtain of shining auburn hair flowing over her neck and spine.

Silent and in awe of her sheer beauty, I hitched her leg up and cleaned her folds, our eyes locked on each other the whole time.

Emotion thudded in my chest, a seismic, life-altering shift. Without a shadow of a doubt, there would never be another woman for me.

When she stroked my jaw, I turned my face into her palm and kissed it.

She knifed up, nabbed the cloth and threw it as her arms went around me, and she pulled me into her embrace.

We settled on the bed, intertwining our fingers and letting our eyes lock on each other.

‘This means something to me, Mia,' I rasped. ‘You mean something to me.'

Her lips curled up as she served me with a throaty, sensual laugh. ‘I'm not just a booty call?'

I leaned in and captured her mouth, growling against her skin. ‘Oh, but you are. An alluring, kind, sexy, killing me softly booty call.'

She rolled her eyes at me.

I nabbed her chin with one hand. ‘But you're becoming more. The earth shifts under my feet when I look at you. Like my whole existence is finding new purpose, fresh meaning.'

‘Lorenzo Calibrese, the poet, I hear you.'

‘It's true, woman. I'm not waxing lyrical. I mean every word.'

She cocked her head at me. ‘I see that. And I like that you mean it.'

I pursed his lips. ‘Et tu? What am I to you?'

Her eyes smouldered, and she trailed a finger down my chest before cradling my member in her hand. ‘The one man who's given me the greatest mind-blowing orgasm I've ever had.'

‘Smart ass. You know what I want you to say.'

‘Pushy much, Calibrese?'

‘You don't know the half of it,' I growled. ‘I'm driven, jealous and possessive. I have to know I'm not wasting my time with you.'

The air between us electrified.

I held my breath.

Until she reached out and clasped my chin. ‘Lorenzo, you are not wasting your time with me. Every moment with you has been some of the most precious I've spent with any man. So there's that. I just need time to navigate my heart.'

I nodded. ‘That's all I ask for, bella.'

‘Meanwhile, let's be each other's booty call,' she teased.

‘No amore mio, you're my woman. Sei la mia anima gemella.'

‘What does it mean?' she whispered.

My soulmate, my lifemate, my everything.

I wanted to translate this to her, but it'd be too much, too soon for her.

‘I'll share in good time, baby,' I murmured instead.

She smiled as I kissed her, her hands stroking up my chest. Closing my eyes, I relaxed into the pillow, sated, coursing and thrumming from my high.

A few minutes later, she ran her fingers over my jaw with a light flutter. ‘Lorenzo?'

‘Yes?'

‘I love your name,' she whispered. ‘It's so sensual.'

‘Mia cara, yours pierces my soul, makes my heart sing,' I rasped, unable to wrest my eyes open. ‘But now I am done, amore, please let me rest. You've worked me hard.'

‘Get all the sleep you can, lover. You're going to need it.'

I chuckled at her tease, then gave in to the sweet pull of blissful slumber.